I'll Never Hurt You
by iloveromance
Summary: When Daphne reluctantly allows Roz to set her up on a blind date, she foolishly hopes that it will lead to much needed companionship and even romance. Instead she is left with humiliation, loneliness and shame; unable to share the frightening details of her evening with anyone. But when things take a turn for the worst, she finds that she's not so alone after all.
1. Chapter 1

Daphne wasn't sure how much more of it she could take.

For the past hour, she'd unwillingly subjected herself to listening to Frasier as he ranted endlessly about some ridiculous caller he'd had earlier that day. Apparently it was a call that had traumatized him so deeply that he found it necessary to leave work early and spend the rest of the day making everyone else miserable.

After the horrible night that Daphne had experienced, the only thing she wanted to do was spend a relaxing day in front of the television set. And she made it clear to Dr. Crane and Mr. Crane that she had no intention of doing any work. If they objected to that, they could either fire her or take it out of her paycheck.

Fortunately Dr. Crane seemed to understand her plight and chose to do neither. Sometimes it was nice having a boss who had as bad luck in the dating department as Daphne did.

But she was certain that he'd never had a date quite like the one she'd had last night. The memory made her shudder and she had to force her tears away. She'd done enough crying in the past several hours to fill every coffee cup at Café Nervosa.

At Roz's insistence she'd reluctantly agreed to go out with Bruce, the friend of Mark, who was Roz's latest man.

Bruce was of average height and fairly good looking, plus he seemed friendly enough. When he came to pick her up, he was cordial and polite and was eager to show Daphne the time of her life.

He took her to a restaurant that even Dr. Crane hadn't been able to get reservations in and she made a note not to tell him. To do so would only start a rant that might never end.

But as the night wore on, and they were en route to the movies, she realized that he was interested in more than her personality.

In what proved to be a scary situation, she successfully fought him off and then forced him to take her home. Unfortunately he wasn't too happy about their evening being cut short, and he let her know by how recklessly he drove through the streets of Seattle; leaving Daphne to wonder why there were never any cops around when she needed one.

When she tried to get out of the car, he insisted on escorting her into the Elliot Bay Towers. However, she never expected him to grab her arm as hard as he did, jerking and dragging her up the sidewalk. The only thing that stopped him was the sight of the doorman, who had glanced up in the nick of time.

Still trembling from the horrible experience, she stepped into the elevator and made her way to the 19th floor. Thankful that it was late and everyone was asleep, Daphne ran to her room and spent the night sobbing into her pillow.

But not before she called Roz at 3am and gave her a piece of her mind. She could tell right away that Roz didn't care about how horribly Daphne's date with Bruce had gone. Most likely, Roz was in Mark's arms at that very moment. No wonder she seemed so distant.

"Bloody hell Roz, some friend you are!" Daphne muttered to the dial tone. Seems that the ringing telephone had awakened Mark and in a groggy voice he'd let Roz know that she had a phone call. But clearly he was more interested in continuing whatever he and Roz had been engaged in at the moment.

And Daphne could only imagine what they could be doing... most likely in the bedroom.

Feeling alone once more, Daphne returned the phone to its cradle and turned out the lights, letting her tears and sobs carry her into sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Now she sat in front of the television set trying to find something on that would make her forget about what transpired last night.

She knew she should say something about Bruce. After all, Martin was an ex-cop and would surely do everything in his power to make the guy pay for what he'd done.

And Frasier would be livid as well. His overprotective instincts would kick in and she'd be doomed to subject every one of her future dates to an endless analysis by the locally famous psychiatrist.

It was best to just forget the whole thing ever happened...

Or at least try.

Her arm was still tender from where Bruce had grabbed her, but she quickly dismissed it as coincidence. Perhaps she had slept on it wrong. It would be fine in a few days anyway. Why make a big deal about it? No sense in worrying everyone over nothing.

The dull movie she'd been watching faded to a commercial, only to be replaced by a commercial about domestic violence and date rape... things that seemed like they were purposely being shown to taunt her. And the images on the screen made her shudder.

"Would you look at that?" Martin pointed to the television, his expression one of anger. It was a look that Daphne had never seen before and she had to admit that it scared her a bit.

"Mr. Crane, what's wrong?" She dared to ask.

"I'll tell you what's wrong, Men hitting women! I can't believe that kind of crap goes on but it does and I saw plenty of it when I was on the force!"

He was yelling now and she didn't even think about trying to stop him. For the look on his face was pure rage.

"I don't even want to think about how many times I've responded to a call, only to arrive and find a battered and bruised woman answering the door!" He continued. "One incident shook me up so much that I took a sabbatical from work and whisked Hester away for a romantic getaway! She said she knew why I did it and she thanked me accordingly but she was wrong about the reason. I did it to prove to her that I'm not an abusive husband. I may have spanked my kids and sent them to their rooms, but I did so to teach them a lesson! And it worked too! But I'll be dammed if I'm going to be so furious with my wife that I'd ever lay a hand on her! And I know I don't have any daughters but if they went out with some sleazebag who laid a hand on her, I swear I would kill them with my bare hands! And don't think I don't mean that because I sure as hell do!"

Daphne shuddered at Martin's words and rubbed her arm, wincing at the pain.

"Something wrong, Daphne?"

"No, just a bit of a chill. I'm going to get changed into some warmer clothes."

When she rose from the sofa, Martin gave her a quizzical look.

"A chill? How can you be cold? It's at least seventy degrees in here, and it's probably even warmer outside!"

"W-well, I haven't been feeling too well lately and I-I think I might be coming down with a touch of the flu. Perhaps I'd better lie down in me room and-."

When she felt her throat tighten and the onset of tears she hurried to her room, not even bothering to acknowledge him.

The door closed behind her and she fell onto her bed as the hot tears streamed down her cheeks. And soon she was sobbing onto her worn pillow.

If only she had someone to hold her, instead of being here all alone. The previous night had been nothing short of horrible when she tossed and turned, wishing to God that she'd turned down Roz's insistence that she find a date. If Roz only knew what happened, she'd probably just blow it off.

The thought that someone who was supposed to be her friend would take what she'd been through as just another romantic fling was beyond any horrible thought she could ever imagine. And deep down, she knew that this is exactly what would transpire once she told Roz the news.

Suddenly new tears came, trickling down her cheeks in rivers of sadness... For she feared that she would be alone for the rest of her life.


	3. Chapter 3

A knock on the door jolted her awake and she looked around the room in confusion.  
"Daphne?"

At the familiar voice she froze. She couldn't let him see her like this. Quickly she ran into the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face before running to the door.

"Daphne? Look I'm sorry to bother you but would you mind-."

She opened the door more forcefully than she meant to and avoided his gaze.

"Oh Daphne... Good. Listen, I need you to do me a favor? I'd do it myself but I simply must get to the station. Roz and I have a meeting with Kenny and the rest of the staff. Apparently the word _restructuring_ has been floating around the studio."

"A-all right. What is it?"

"Just a simple thing really. I-."

He stopped short and stared at her through the opening in the doorway.

"Are you all right?"

"Y-yes I'm fine. Why would you ask me that?"

Frasier shrugged. "No reason. You seem different today."

_Yeah, scared to death_... Daphne wanted to say.

"I'm fine." She said, hoping she sounded reassuring.

He paused before continuing.

"Well, all right. I have to go but I'm driving Dad to meet his friend Jim at the Timber Mill first. Why Dad thinks that restaurant is enjoyable is beyond me!"

"Thank you, Dr. Crane... for letting me know. Have a good time... at work, I mean."

Frasier rolled his eyes. "One can only hope."

At her confused look he laughed. "Oh, I just meant that... Well, Bulldog has a new segment on his show; one that he's anxious to debut today of all days. Problem is that he won't tell anyone what it is. Not even Kenny!"

She gave an uninterested laugh. "Really..."

"Yes, and I'd bet my paycheck that Kenny will do everything he can to keep Bulldog from running this little segment; especially without permission. You know, sometimes I just don't know what that man is thinking. It seems as though he always has sports on the brain!"

"Well... it is called The Gonzo _Sports_ Show." She said carefully, cringing at the sarcastic comment she'd just made to her boss.

Normally remarks such as these flew from her mouth in rapid succession without a second thought. But ever since the incident last night, she'd learned to be more careful about how she spoke to men; even if that man was Dr. Frasier Crane; someone she knew better than most people.

"You'd think he would have more respect for the man who signs his paychecks than some ridiculous basketball player!" He was saying.

"I'm sure everything will be fine." She said absently. "At least I hope so."

The last words were barely a whisper.

"What was that?"

"Oh... nothing. I-I just meant that I hope the show goes all right."

"Well I don't!" Frasier replied. "I hope he falls on his-."

Daphne stepped out of her bedroom and guided Frasier to the door. "I'm sure you do. Now you'd best get to work before you're late. You know how Kenny is."

"Why are you in such a rush to get me out of my own home? I have to wait for Dad. I have to drive him to-"

" The Timber Mill, you told me. Just wait here and I'll get him. MR. CRANE!"

Martin entered the living room in a flash.

"Good God, where's the fire?" He yelled. "You scared Eddie half to death!"

Frasier's eyebrows rose. "_Half_ to death, huh? Well, Daphne you should probably try it again."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Martin snapped.

"Um... Never mind. Let's just... get out of here. Goodbye, Daphne."

"Goodbye, Dr. Crane. Mr. Crane. Have a nice day."

"We will." Martin said. "So long, Eddie!"

Eddie barked wildly in response, continuing until Daphne shut the door.

"All right, he's gone now so you can be quiet!" Daphne yelled. "My head is throbbing and I just needed to lie down. I barely got any sleep last night!"

The dog quieted immediately, whining at the way she had spoken to him.

"I'm sorry, but I promise to make it up to you as soon as I can."

Eddie licked her hand, his tail wagging happily.

The gesture made her smile and on impulse she scratched his head and then hugged him, causing Eddie to kiss her face.

"Thank you, Eddie for cheering me up. I didn't think anybody could do that. Well, I'm off to take a nap, so will you guard the door for me? I'd hate for anyone to break in and steal your father's favorite Kung Fu movie."

As she walked to her bedroom she smiled at the sight. Eddie stood by the door, staring intently snarling at the slightest noise.

"You're a wonderful watchdog Eddie." She said from the doorway. "I don't care what Dr. Crane says. I love you just as much as I love him! But don't tell him I said that!"

Eddie barked in response.

"It'll be our little secret."

As Daphne disappeared into the hallway, Eddie returned his attention to the door; ready to guard her from potential harm.


	4. Chapter 4

She awoke feeling a bit better but when she glanced into the mirror, her tear-streaked face and red, puffy eyes only served as a painful reminder of the night before.

But she couldn't let anyone know what had happened.

At the faint sound of the doorbell, her anxiety increased. The last thing she wanted to do was to entertain potential guests of her boss, even if it meant making a simple pot of coffee.

Silently she willed Frasier or Martin to answer it and sat down in her plush chair with her romance novel. She may have been the hired help, but it didn't mean that they couldn't get off of their bums every once in a while! It was the least they could do given all the cruel remarks they'd made about her cooking.

When it rang a second time, and then a third, anger rose within her and she stormed into the living room.

"Will someone _please_ answer the bloody door?" She yelled.

Eddie barked as though to say that he'd love to help but it was quite impossible for him to do so. And that's when she remembered that she was alone.

The doorbell continued to ring, and determination set in. She refused to answer it but then thought better of it.

"Bloody hell..."

With more force than she intended, she thrust open the door, becoming even more apprehensive when she instantly recognized the person standing before her.

"Roz..."

It took all the courage she had not to lash out at her friend (or _ex-friend_ as it were), so instead she forced a smile.

"What brings you here?"

As expected, Roz rolled her eyes barging into the condo without being asked. It was a common scenario and it was true that she was practically family. But now the gesture seemed inconsiderate and almost rude.

Dr. Crane's brother would never barge in unless he was invited, even into his brother's condo.

The fact that she thought of Niles surprised her and she found herself wishing that he was standing before her instead of the woman who had almost ruined her life.

"Oh _please_, Daphne." Roz was saying in that sarcastic tone she used much too often.

"Don't pretend to be so innocent! You know damn well why I'm here!"

Daphne sighed deeply. The last thing she wanted to do was to relive that horrible night by discussing it with anyone.

When she'd arrived home from her disastrous date with Bruce, she had mixed emotions upon discovering that she was alone.

The house was quiet, indicating that the Crane men had long since gone to bed, and when she peered into Mr. Crane's bedroom, she found that even Eddie had drifted into slumber.

But she needed to talk to someone so desperately and the thought that she was forced to keep the details hidden away made her uneasy at best. Frasier and Niles both advised her time and time again not to keep things inside, for it only makes it worse in the long run.

Truer words had never been spoken.

But as she retreated into her bedroom, she found that she relished the time alone. It gave her a chance to calm down and cry as many tears as she needed without the chance of being seen. She thought about how stupid she had been, going out with someone whom Roz deemed acceptable. The woman was so desperate for companionship that her one-night stands had become commonplace and lately there wasn't a man in sight that she didn't approach willingly.

It was horrible to think such things about a woman who had been her confidante and closest friend. But this was a betrayal like no other, and Daphne wasn't sure if she'd ever be able to forgive.

Roz had to have known how forceful Bruce was. She shuddered remembering how he'd grabbed her arm and practically dragged her into the lobby. Naturally he let go abruptly and smiled a fake smile when he caught sight of Morrie the doorman.

God forbid he'd let himself be seen treating a lady with such disrespect. Why she wondered if he treated his own mum in the same disrespectful-.

"DAPHNE!"

Startled she jumped, her eyes landing on Roz.

"What?"

"Have you even been listening to a word I said?"

"O-Of course I was! I was just-."

"Like hell you were! Now sit down and tell me all about this date!"  
When Roz grabbed her arm and dragged her to the sofa, Daphne winced in pain.

"Ow! Roz! You're hurting me!"

But Roz gave no thought to Daphne's words and instead rolled her eyes. "Oh Daphne, I barely touched you! Now come on out with it! Tell me about this date! And I don't want a single detail left out!"

Rubbing her tender arm, Daphne sighed. Perhaps Roz really did care. And maybe if she told Roz everything it would make her feel better. She knew that Roz wouldn't go crazy with rage, the way Frasier surely would.

"Actually, Roz something did happen last night and I'm sorry for being so rude to you when you came in. I was just thinking about-."

"You were thinking about Bruce?"

She blinked in surprise.

"Well, yes, I was but-."

Roz sighed with relief and clasped Daphne's hands. "I'm so glad to hear you say that!"

"Y-you are?"

"Of course I am! And you wanna know why?"

"Yes, I do. Because I can't even imagine-"

"He wants to see you again!"

The news caused Daphne's heart to catch in her throat.

"H-he what?"

"He called me last night after he dropped you off! Said he couldn't wait to tell me all about the great time you two had."

Daphne felt sick. "H-He said that?"

"Yeah and he wants to know if you're free again tomorrow night. He wanted to call you himself but he was too shy so I told him that I'd ask you for him! I heard you guys went to _Fleur-de-lis_ for dinner1"

"Um... yes. We did."

"Whoa! Do you have any idea how exclusive that place is? Frasier told me just the other day that he and Niles have tried countless times to get reservations and they're always booked up!"

"Imagine that." Daphne said; her words barely audible.

"Anyway, he told me his side of the story, but I want to hear yours. So spill it. I want to hear all about this amazing date!"

"A-actually Roz, it wasn't so amazing."

She nodded and there was a flash of something in her eyes that gave Daphne a glimmer of hope. Could it be that Roz sensed that something had happened last night? The relief she felt was unimaginable and she was mere seconds from telling her friend the entire story when she heard;

"Well, I guess no date is truly amazing unless you end up in bed. Believe me; sex does wonders to improve even the worst date! I should know."

In that moment, any hope that remained shattered at Daphne's feet. And the words left her mouth in an unconscious fit of hurt and anger.

"Yes you should, Roz! You always practice what you preach! And you've had more dates than I can count, not to mention the number of one night stands you've had this month! I'd be surprised if you slept with the same man twice!"

Roz's mouth fell open in horror and Daphne felt a cold chill run through her. She'd chided Roz about her string of men before but never with such bluntness or outright cruelty.

"What in the hell is that supposed to mean?" Roz yelled.

"N-nothing, I-I just-."

"The hell it's nothing! God, Daphne I came all the way over here just to tell you that the guy had a good time and wants to see you again and you treat me like I'm some... slut!"

"Roz, I never said you were a-."

"I was trying to do you a favor last night and this is how you repay me? You know you could have at least called me yourself last night to tell me about how your date went instead of my having to find out about it from Bruce."

Daphne fumed, forgetting all about her softened heart, which had begun to fill with anger once more.

"I _did_ call you last night and if you had answered your bloody phone instead of hiding under some man who's name you've already forgotten-."

"I don't have to stand here and listen to this." Roz said.

"Well then don't!" Daphne yelled. "Just leave! See if I care!"

The hot tears slid down Daphne's cheeks and she could feel her mouth trembling. Roz's image blurred before her eyes and the last thing she remembered before sinking onto the sofa was the slamming of the door.

Her friend was gone, leaving Daphne alone once again. As she sobbed on the sofa she was only vaguely aware of the companion who joined her, resting his head on her lap.

"Hello, Eddie." Daphne said, stroking the dog's fur. "You're a sweet dog, even if you do drive me crazy sometimes. It sounds silly, but I'm glad you're here because right now, it seems that you're my only friend."


End file.
